CINCINNATI -
University of Cincinnati wide receiver Shaq Washington (Maple Hts., Ohio/Maple Hts.) was named to the preseason watch list for the 2014 Biletnikoff Award, the committee announced Tuesday.

The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the outstanding receiver in college football. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award.

Washington had a breakout campaign in 2013, catching 78 balls for 783 yards and a touchdown. His 78 receptions led UC, ranked fifth in the American Athletic Conference and was the fifth-best single-season mark in school history. Along the way, he tallied four games with double-digit receptions and caught a career-best 11 balls three times. He also saw time at QB, throwing a touchdown pass at Rutgers and averaging 13.4 yards per carry on the ground, scoring a touchdown in the Belk Bowl against North Carolina.

Walter Manley, II, who is the Co-chairman of the National Selection Committee, noted, “The 2014 Biletnikoff Award Pre-season Watch List contains an extremely talented field, consistent with the escalating importance of the passing game in college football.” Fellow Co-Chairman Bill Hilaman seconded Manley’s opinion: “Receiver has become the glamour position in college offenses; the great athletes are gravitating to receiver which means the ranks of excellent college receivers continue to grow.”

The award recipient is selected by the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee, a group 221 prominent college football journalists, commentators, and former receivers. Receivers may be added to the watch list as their season performances dictate.

Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was an All-Pro receiver with the Oakland Raiders and an All-America receiver at Florida State University. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation (TQC), Inc., created the Biletnikoff Award in 1994.

TQC will announce the 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists on November 17, 2014, following the vote by the 221 members of the selection Committee. The three finalists will be declared, following another vote, on November 24, 2014.

UC will open training camp on August 10, 2014 ahead of the season opener against Toledo on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. ET inside Paul Brown Stadium.

Season tickets for UC's six-game home slate at PBS are on sale now, starting at $99 or $16.50 per game. The Bearcats are playing their 2014 home schedule downtown due to the $86-million Nippert Stadium Renovation & Expansion Project. For more information, visit www.BearcatsFootball.com.

For complete details and updates of interest, together with weekly statistics and timely and important news of the Biletnikoff Award candidates, as well as a fan vote and discussion board, please consult the Foundation website at www.biletnikoffaward.com.